Titans of Vale
by Bulbajer
Summary: In a world... where four heroines protect a thriving city from nefarious criminal wrong-doers. And, you know, do other teenage stuff. Like pizza. As Ruby and her friends fight self-absorbed lunatics, angsty street gangs, and the occasional rampaging monster, they begin to discover a threat far more sinister than self-proclaimed supervillains... AU. See inside for note on rating.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this fic is very loosely inspired by the Teen Titans animated series. Basically, I thought, why not make a story with our beloved hunters and huntresses as more-or-less stereotypical superheroes, with all the issues of being teenagers? Here's what I've come up with so far. I hope you like it.**

 **Fellow shippers, take note: this will mostly focus on WhiteRose, plus some Bumblebee.**

 **Note on rating: This story is rated M for language, suggestive themes, and possible non-explicit/offscreen sexual situations down the road. This is not the lemon you're looking for.**

 **For those of you following my SAO fic, no, I have not given up on that.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Titans of Vale

Chapter 1: Pilot  


 _Vale. The big city._

 _The skyscrapers rise up towards the everlasting blue, leaving little light to reach the lowly streets. Cars flow through the streets in a regular pattern, carrying life from one place to another in a massive, noisy circulatory system. Street lights flicker._

 _Vale. Full of people thin on time and high on crime._

 _Shadows walk the sidewalks, cross the streets, go in and out of buildings. Some talk, but seldom to each other; others stay silent, attempting to converse with stares instead of words. Exhaustion and weariness abound. Money is everywhere and yet hard to find._

 _Vale. It'll make you or break you._

 _But that didn't bother the girl. Down one street and up the next she went, with a sense of irrevocable purpose, her simple red cloak billowing silently behind her. Intimidating, yet elegant. The hooded figure made her way calmly through the city, looking forward and never back, confident and unflinchi-_

A sudden car horn made Ruby jump. She whipped her head around, causing her hood to fall back, revealing a startled expression. After regaining her bearings, the young girl hastily lowered her hood and continued down the moderately busy street.

 _Having ruled out any danger, the mysterious red-clad girl continued down the eerily quiet street in search of her objective. The hood of her cloak was drawn up tight, hiding her face._ _Passersby could only guess what kind of person would shroud herself in darkne-_

Ruby smacked her forehead on an unnoticed sign, eliciting a soft grunt of annoyance from the girl. After a reluctant pause, she swept the hood back and kept going.

 _Passersby could only guess what kind of person would bear her dazzlingly beautiful face for all to see in this world of flittering shadows and coarse murmurs. But the girl feared not. Instead she strode on until she reached a four-way intersection._

 _Halting, she eyed her surroundings. Beside her stood a tiny convenience store, its grime-smeared windows advertising deals on baked goods. In front of her, directly across the street, lay a pharmacy whose neon red signs contrasted glaringly with the grayness that hung about the place. Diagonally across sat a non-descript office building, most of its windows covered with blinds. The remaining street corner contained an empty store that looked like it had been out of business for some time._

 _A familiar feeling came over the mysterious cloaked girl. She sighed._

"Welp. I'm lost."

Giving up on her inner monologue, Ruby Rose took out her map and began to scour it. Minutes went by, as did cars, trucks, and fellow pedestrians. Finally, she gave another sigh, crumpling her map in frustration. She looked around again. The intersection at which she found herself was actually quite colorful and lively, and she might have found it charming in a different situation. But now all the colors and sounds blended together in a chaotic assault on Ruby's mind.

"Welp," she said again. "Maybe some aimless wandering will do the trick." A man with a briefcase and cup of steaming liquid gave her an odd look as he hurried past her into the street. Blushing, Ruby straightened her cloak before marching past the convenience store towards the next set of lights. _Talking to yourself is a bad habit_ , she reminded herself. _People will think you're weird._

 _But I am weird!_

 _Shut up, you… me… whatever._ Ruby shook her head. She needed to focus. This was a fairly serious issue. As far as she knew, she was not expected to arrive at any specific time, as long as it was today. Nevertheless, the thought of being later than the others and making a bad impression scared her. With a renewed sense of urgency, Ruby scanned the buildings lining the street, looking for anything that sounded familiar.

She continued on like this for several blocks and was just about to try a different street when a waving flag caught her attention. It was two blocks ahead, partially obscured by the awning for a restaurant. Soft blue and white flapped in the gentle city wind. Below the flag stood two well-dressed men, one behind a small podium and another with his hand on a shiny brass luggage cart. _Bellhoppers…_ Ruby thought. _Is that what they're called?_ Either way, she hurried forward eagerly. She was pretty sure Uncle Qrow had mentioned something about an Atlesian hotel. And that flag was definitely the flag of Atlas. Ruby had ingrained this flag in her brain after spending forty-five minutes staring at a "Flags of Remnant" poster in her social studies classroom all those years ago. She grinned at the memory. _Ah, Signal Academy. Good times... Good times…_

Ruby's good mood petered out rather quickly, though, when she reached the hotel. Uncle Qrow had indeed said something about an Atlesian hotel in his directions over the scroll chat that morning. Exactly what he said about it proved to be harder to remember. As Ruby stood there, trying to figure out where she was supposed to go next, the "bellhoppers" gave her questioning looks. The girl tensed up awkwardly. _Oh, what do I do? I can't just ask for directions._

The man behind the podium cleared his throat. Ruby panicked and fled into the nearest shop.

The glass door closed behind her with a soft "bump". Having sidestepped an awkward situation, Ruby wiped imaginary sweat off her brow and took a good look at the shop she had entered. In front of her sat a few tables and chairs. The left side of the store contained several rows of bookcases, as well as a few tables with books on display. Comfy-looking armchairs were spaced evenly along the walls. To the right was a bar. A brunette sat on one of the stools, chatting with a barista with a stylish beret and shades. Other than these two, the place appeared empty.

The girls, both perhaps a few years older than Ruby, turned to meet her gaze. "Welcome!" greeted the girl at the stool, smiling softly.

"'sup," offered the barista, giving a nod.

Ruby smiled at them for a moment before remembering that etiquette required her to respond. "Oh, uh… heyyyy!"

The awkwardness came back in full force. Her face became increasingly red as she mentally reprimanded herself for her moment of unresponsiveness. Unfortunately, this left her oblivious to the even longer silence that fell upon the shop. The two other girls exchanged a brief look before speaking at the same time.

"Can we help you?" asked the sitting girl.

"You look lost," commented the barista.

The first girl then gently elbowed her companion, muttering, "Coco!"

"What?" the barista asked, stepping away to check on a coffee machine. "I wasn't being rude."

The sitting girl seemed to ignore Coco, instead addressing Ruby, who was still standing awkwardly at the entrance to the shop. "You do look a bit frazzled, though. _Are_ you lost?"

Ruby half-smiled, half-grimaced. "Er… kind of."

More silence. _Smooth, Ruby, smooth_ , the hapless girl thought to herself.

Fortunately, a tall, muscular man in an apron appeared in the doorway at the back of the bar, providing a welcome distraction from Ruby's inability to function. "The cake is ready," he announced, looking to Coco. "Frosting? Or none?"

"None," answered Coco, placing a coffee pot under one of the machines. As the man walked back out of view, she continued: "We're not made of frosting, despite what Velvet thinks… " At this, the girl on the stool gave a little "hmph" of indignation. "… And besides, no one ever buys cake here anyway."

"I do!" Velvet raised a hand cheerfully.

"You're an employee, you don't buy, we feed you," Coco answered. Then she raised an eyebrow. "But you could start paying for cake if you like."

Velvet shuddered in mock horror. "No! My lifeblood!"

In the meantime, Ruby had gathered up enough courage to walk over to the bar and sit next to Velvet. Gradually, she relaxed as she watched the banter.

"'Lifeblood' indeed." Coco was pouring a cup of steaming liquid. "I want to know how you stay so thin with a diet as cake-filled as yours. It's a crime."

Velvet became indignant again. "I do not eat _that_ much cake! Only a piece or two once and a while. Right, Yatsu?" she called into the back.

There was silence from the kitchen.

"Eh, forget you." Turning to Ruby, the girl smiled softly again. "My name's Velvet. Are you new to Vale?"

Ruby returned her smile. "Not exactly. I've been in the city before, but this is my first time here all by myself. I'm Ruby, by the way."

Coco placed a hot mug before Velvet and a glass of ice water before Ruby. As the girl nodded her thanks, Coco introduced herself. "I'm Coco. That's Yatsuhashi back there – " an arm waved from the kitchen doorframe " – and that's Fox over there." Ruby turned to see a dark-skinned, well-built young man carrying a stack of books. He nodded in acknowledgement before retreating back behind the bookcases.

"Welcome to Liquid Literature," Coco continued. "Can I get you anything?"

Ruby a finger on her cheek. Truthfully, she hadn't intended to buy anything, but it seemed rude not to at this point. "Sure! Do you have any… juice?"

"Girl, do we ever. Apple, orange, grape, berry, pomegranate…"

"I'll take orange juice please."

"Comin' right up."

As Coco prepared Ruby's drink, Velvet continued the conversation. "So, first time alone in the big city, eh? How do you like it so far?"

"It's great!" Ruby grinned. "All these places, all these people… so much energy! It's a nice change from home. Though I have a feeling I'm going to get sick of it at some point."

Coco hummed in sympathy as she delivered Ruby's orange juice. "I know what you mean. Vale's a nice city, but it can get hectic. Even without all the self-absorbed maniacs running around."

Ruby shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Perhaps Velvet thought she was just a bit afraid, for she placed a reassuring hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Don't worry, Ruby. The villains around here don't usually cause much serious trouble. They're more annoying than threatening, really. Team JNPR hasn't had much of a problem dealing with them even with both sides of the city to cover. And it should get better once those new heroes get set up on this side of the bay. Aren't they supposed to start in a few days, Coco?"

With this, Ruby became even more uncomfortable. She hurriedly gulped down her juice as Coco answered in the form of a shrug. Her juice finished, she got to her feet and started fumbling for her wallet. "I should get going. Thanks for the juice. And the water. And the talking."

If the older girls noticed anything strange in Ruby's behavior, they didn't show it. "No problem," Coco replied as she took Ruby's money. "Sure you don't want a piece of coffee cake? Speaking of which… Yatsu, what's taking so long?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," sighed Yatsuhashi from the kitchen.

Ruby hesitated. Cake. Her lifeblood. Well, actually, several different sugary or fatty substances could qualify as her lifeblood, but cake was pretty high up there on the list. Still, she had to get going. "Well, normally I'd love to but I've really got… to…" She trailed off as Yatsuhashi exited the kitchen carrying a coffee cake the size of a large pizza. Even without frosting, it looked scrumptious.

Velvet giggled as the chair next to her became occupied again.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, 7 Lien lighter, and an indeterminate amount of cake heavier, Ruby emerged from Liquid Literature. The same bellhops from before still stood outside the Atlesian hotel. They nodded at her politely. Ruby returned their nods with a soft burp. Flushing as red as her cloak, the girl quickly flittered away, imagining the whole street scoffing at her haughtily. She was so embarrassed that it took her half a minute before she realized she was now walking in the direction she came from. Ruby resisted the urge to stomp her boots in frustration. If only she could have asked the friendly staff at the bookstore for directions. Naïve though she may have been, Ruby knew for a fact she was a good judge of character. Both Velvet and Coco came off as people she could trust, and though she hadn't gotten to know Yatsuhashi and Fox, she doubted they would be any different. Unfortunately, one does not simply ask for directions to the secret entrance to the newly-built East Tower. Even if they had been able to help, she would have to explain who she was. And what a conversation that would be. _"Oh, well actually, now that you mention it… I AM one of the four new heroes assigned to protect this city from evil-doers. Heh."_

Ruby sighed. She supposed she could call Uncle Qrow, but he was likely very busy. Besides, she didn't want to admit she had only been half-listening to his directions that morning. Taking out her scroll, she glanced at the time. 3:46. It was getting late, and she had no idea how long it would be before she reached the tower and met her partners. She could forget about making a good first impression. Sighing again, the unhappy girl looked around, hoping for some sort of sign or landmark that would reignite her memory.

And then she found one.

"Huzzah!" Ruby froze in mid-air, her first still raised in triumph, as she realized how much of a scene she must have made. She landed back on the concrete with an awkward thud, sending a jarring sensation up her right leg. Fortunately, Vale must have been used to girls in gothic-esque clothes and red cloaks shouting "Huzzah!" and jumping five feet in the air, because no one paid her any attention. Nevertheless, Ruby felt compelled to pull her hood down to hide her dorky shame. That is, until she remembered the bump on her forehead and pulled it back again.

Her savior had come in the form of a shop sign across the street bearing the words "From Dust Till Dawn." The name had successfully jogged her memory. Her uncle's words came smoothly to her now. _"… once you reach that intersection, take a right onto Wallaby Way and walk five blocks until you see a dust shop called "From Dust Till Dawn". The entrance to the tower is right across from that shop. It'll look like a normal urban apartment entrance. If you end up passing the Atlesian hotel, you've gone too far."_

Ruby blinked. _Well, whaddya know. I passed it._ Shaking off her frustration, she power walked down until she was level with the dust shop. Turning to face the apartment building beside her, she was pleased to see a door labeled "42 – A, B, C". The rather mundane and, frankly, run-down apartment building didn't look anything like the tower she had seen in photos, but then again, this was a _secret_ entrance.

Ruby looked around nervously before stepping up to the door and entering a four-digit combination on the key pad. A dull "click" was the only indication that she had remembered the correct code. She opened the door and stepped inside, quickly closing it behind her.

She found herself in a short, narrow hallway. The walls were bare, the carpeting frayed. A lone fly buzzed around one of the ceiling lights. There were three doors – two on the left and one at the end of the hall. Ruby began walking down the hallway, conscious of the loud noises her boots made as they traipsed along the floor. Reaching the second door on the left, labeled "B", the girl took a deep breath, glanced around once more, and entered a second four-digit combination. Again, a "click". She opened the door.

At first, Ruby thought she must have had the wrong door. Before her sat a small table with a vase of flowers. To the left were two wall-mounted coat hangers. From where she stood, she could see what looked like folding closet doors to the table's right. An ornate if dirty mirror hung above the table, showing her a confused girl in red and black. For all the world, it looked like she was about to enter the tiny hallway entrance to a similarly tiny apartment.

Stepping through the doorway, however, Ruby's jaw dropped. The little hallway continued to the right for about twenty feet before opening up into… well… she wasn't quite sure. The "room" was no more than twenty by twenty feet and contained nothing except what looked like a cross between a gondola lift and a subway car. Through the vehicle's glass windows she could see a long, unlit tunnel.

Ruby stood there, staring at… well… she still wasn't quite sure… until the door behind her swung closed, making her jump and give a startled "eep!" After assuring herself that the door had closed by itself simply because it was designed to, and not because the place was haunted, she crept forward. When she reached the vehicle, she realized that the tunnel had tracks. Perhaps this was some sort of tram that would take her to the tower?

Once again, Ruby looked around. No more doors, just her and this odd tram. _Welp. I guess I'm going for a ride._ She stepped around to enter through the door on the side of the vehicle. The door hissed open automatically, startling her again. There were about eight seats inside; no controls of any sort were visible. Ruby picked a seat which would give her a clear view of the tracks ahead. The door hissed closed.

She sat there for a moment. Nothing happened.

"… Um… go? _Eep!_ "

With an electronic whine, the tram rolled forward, rapidly accelerating. The little table, the flower vase, the coat hangers, the mirror, and the closet doors retreated until they became nothing more than light at the end of the tunnel. Besides the lighting in the vehicle itself, the only source of light illuminating the tracks ahead were blinking red headlamps on the tram's front. Ruby had no idea how fast she was going, but judging by the rattling, screeching, and echoing, it was probably safe to say that a sudden halt would not end well for her.

Just as she was considering the plausibility of seatbelts in a train car, the screeching increased, accompanied by a drop in speed. Between the tram's interior and exterior lights, Ruby could see the end of the tunnel rapidly approaching ahead. She clung on to a conveniently placed hand bar as the tram slowed to a stop before a wall. A "clunk" sounded from somewhere below as the tram bumped the wall ever so slightly. Before she could get a proper look at where she had been taken, a section of wall dropped down behind the tram like a castle's portcullis, cutting off the tunnel she had just passed through. A few more clunking sounds were heard and before Ruby knew it, the tram was shooting upwards like an elevator. Ruby let out a few more "eeps" as the subway-gondola-elevator-thing rose higher and higher on vertical tracks along the walls. Soon enough, she felt the vehicle decelerating again. Gravity caused her to feel light as the tram slowed at a faster rate than her body. Despite her fear – and yes, Ruby would admit it, she was afraid at this point – she couldn't help but flash back to those elevator rides that she and her sister would enjoy whenever their father took them into the city. The decelerating elevator would fill her stomach with butterflies and make her giggle. Yang would giggle too.

Without realizing it, Ruby gave the otherwise empty tram a sad smile.

She didn't have much time to reminisce, however. As soon as the tram came to a stop, its doors opened along with a set of doors on the wall, revealing a staircase. Ruby sighed as she exited the vehicle and ascended the stairs. _Could this place get any more complicated?_

Evidently it could. The short staircase led into a large, circular room with glass walls. For the most part, it looked like a living room. Several chairs and couches, tables, bookcases, two TVs, even some bean bag chairs. The rest of the room was clearly a kitchen, with all the typical kitchen appliances and fixtures. In the middle stood a spiral staircase that led up into the ceiling, presumably to bedrooms and bathrooms. The windows presented a magnificent view of the city in all directions. Overall, it looked like a pretty neat place to live.

Ruby only registered these details in the back of her mind, though, for as soon as she entered the room she made eye contact with someone.

A girl in an elegant black-and-white outfit and high-heeled boots sat on the nearest couch, one leg crossed over the other, a book in hand. A pretty black bow sat atop her long black hair. Amber eyes stared piercingly into Ruby's.

Neither girl moved for a long moment. Finally, Ruby decided to break the ice. "Hi!" she squealed, determined to shatter the awkward silence with friendliness. "I'm Ruby Rose. You must be one of my new partners."

The other girl nodded after a moment, still examining the newcomer.

Beginning to sweat a little, Ruby finished climbing the stairs, making a show of checking out the room. "This place looks really nice," she remarked. "Amazing, really. Looks plenty big enough for four people. And two TVs!... Oooh, and bean bag chairs!" She squealed again. "This is going to be so much fun!"

The corner of the other girl's mouth tugged up ever so slightly. "Nice to meet you, Ruby. I'm Blake." She didn't offer anything more than that, simply returning to her book.

"Are the others here yet?" asked Ruby.

"Nope."

Another silence. Less awkward than the first. Ruby decided to check out the upper floors before she would pester her new teammate with further conversation. The spiral staircase led to a hallway that was thankfully much nicer-looking than the hallways of that apartment building that housed the secret entrance. The walls were painted cream with neat little swirl designs appearing in the paint. The carpet was clean and fluffy, and she could detect some sort of air freshener. Normally, Ruby didn't like air fresheners – they smelled anything but fresh to her – but this one was nice, even if she couldn't identify it. There was a door at each end of the hallway, plus six doors along the walls. The door at the left end of the hall was labeled "ROOF ACCESS", while the one at the right end was labeled "STORAGE". The two doors closest to the storage room were labeled "Restroom" and "Guest Restroom". She was a bit confused as to the need for the distinction, but nonetheless. There were _two_ bathrooms. Ruby Ruby's already substantial respect for her new residence increased dramatically. The other four doors were unlabeled. She guessed they were the bedrooms.

Ruby examined the storage room first, hoping to find her belongings – one belonging in particular – but was disappointed to see that it was empty. _Hmm, it's a pretty big room though. Good to know._ Next she checked out the bathrooms. The guest bathroom was small, without a shower stall or tub. The other bathroom was much larger, with four shower stalls and a hot tub, but lacking any toilets or sinks. This wasn't quite what Ruby had expected when she had seen there were two bathrooms, but considering she got to live in this tower for free, she couldn't complain.

Ruby was about to open one of the unlabeled doors when she realized that she could be entering someone else's room. She had no idea if their belongings had been brought up yet, or even if rooms had been assigned. Not wanting to take the chance of intruding on Blake's privacy when she wasn't in the room, Ruby sighed and settled for seeing what there was to see on the roof. _Soon, Crescent Rose, my love, soon we will be reunited._

The roof of the East Tower itself wasn't very interesting, but it provided an even more spectacular view of the city. The wind, cool but not too cold, whipped at her hair, tickled her nose, and set her cloak a-fluttering. Although the tower was surrounded by several skyscrapers, it was the tallest building on the eastern side of Vale. To the west, across the Emerald Bay, Ruby could easily spot the West Tower peaking up above its own neighboring skyline. She vaguely wondered if the famed Team JNPR would be able to spot her from this distance. Probably not, but she waved a hand eagerly just in case.

After taking in the view for a bit, Ruby decided to head back downstairs. As she descended into the main room, she called out, "Blake? You wouldn't happen to know which room is mine, would you?" Receiving no answer, she discovered that Blake had disappeared, either having left the tower or, more likely, using the facilities. Maybe she was in her own room already. Ruby plopped herself down on one of the couches to wait for her remaining team members. Hopefully they would arrive soon. She was beginning to get anxious again.

Fifteen minutes of waiting later, Ruby got up and turned on one of the TVs. She was pleased to discover that she now had access to far more channels than she had at home. After channel surfing excitedly for a few minutes, she settled on a showing of one of her favorite childhood movies, _Spirited Afar_ , by that famous director and animator whose name she could never remember. She had just gotten to one of the particularly good scenes when her ears picked up a heavy rattling noise. "The elevator tram thingy!" she gasped aloud. She was about to meet another of her teammates. Determined to make a good first impression, Ruby leapt up and skipped eagerly toward the staircase that led down to the elevator doors.

Perhaps skipping had not been the best decision. Ruby's left boot scuffed the rug a bit harder than she had anticipated, causing her to lose her balance and topple forward. As the tram's rattling came to a stop, the poor girl somersaulted painfully down the stairs.

What happened next would forever be remembered in slow-motion. Ruby's face was on a collision course with the elevator doors when the doors suddenly opened, revealing a girl in a bluish-white dress and jacket. Her snow-white hair was tied in an offset ponytail with a small tiara at the base. Her skin was the palest she had ever seen. She had her arms crossed, the expression of mild distaste on her dainty face accented by the scar running across her left eye. Those icy blue eyes met Ruby's, sending a chill down the latter's spine, before widening at the sight before her. Distaste became alarm. Neither one of the girls had time to say anything.

Ruby's last thought before impact: _She's beautiful._

And with a painful _slam_ , Ruby Rose met her newest teammate head-on.

The next thing she knew, the red-caped girl was lying on something soft. _Funny. I don't remember going to bed._ The thought made her aware of the massive headache she was now nursing. Groaning, Ruby opened her eyes. She heard another groan as her vision swam into focus.

They were nose to nose.

Ruby blinked. The other girl blinked.

All hell broke loose.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" screamed the pale girl, causing Ruby to jump back onto her feet in shock and fear. Unfortunately, she had not yet regained her sense of balance, so she fell onto her back, blocking the elevator doors. Thankfully, she did not hit her head this time. But this fact offered little comfort as the other girl, sitting up with a hand on her temple, continued to yell at her as shrilly as she could. "Are you kidding me?! What did you just do? What in the – Do you have ANY idea what you've just done? You knocked me to the ground. Me. Do you know who I am?! Are you COMPLETELY retarded?"

As the girl's frosty eyes shot beams of furious rage at her, Ruby felt her body go numb with shame. Physical pain gave way to a worse kind of pain.

"You could have given me a concussion, you imbecile! I may have sustained serious, irreversible brain damage, and I won't even know it! I mean, seriously! As soon as the doors opened! Were you waiting for the perfect moment to assault me?"

Ruby lowered her eyes, desperately trying to escape the death glare she was being given. "I- I'm sorr-"

"You're sorry? You're SORRY?! How about _certifiably insane?_ You idiotic little moron! I swear, if I had my sword with me, I'd –"

"Could you keep it down?" Blake arrived at the top of the stairs. Almost as an afterthought, she added, "Are you guys alright?"

"Am I alright?!" responded the irate girl. "Wonderful, I'm just fantastic! I've literally just gotten here when this – this – this _DUNCE_ –" she gestured to Ruby, putting as much venom as humanly possible into the insult, " – came out of nowhere and decided to whack her stupid head against mine with the force of a rhino! NO, I AM NOT ALRIGHT!" The girl seethed, gasping for breath after her tirade, skin no longer pale but flushed with anger.

Blake gave a small frown, eyes narrowing at the girl in white. She started to say something, but at this point Ruby tuned everything else out. In the middle of the doorway she sat, hugging her knees, covering her face with her arms. She tried hard to keep her shoulders from shaking, but the effort caused her whole body to shiver. Her senses told her that the room was freezing, though Ruby knew perfectly well the temperature was in fact normal.

Within an hour of reaching her new home for the foreseeable future, she had nearly killed one of the people she would be working and living with. So much for making a good first impression. So much for being a hero of Vale. So much for making her family proud.

"Would you mind moving?!" the new girl's voice pierced Ruby's melancholy. Quickly, without a word, she stood up, pulled down her hood, turned, and ran up the staircase, across the room, up the stairs, down the hallway, and up to the roof. There, in the glow of the sun setting over Vale, she stumbled to her knees, hugging herself and sniffling.

* * *

Five, ten, fifteen minutes went by. The tears came to a stop, allowing the wind – so much colder than she remembered from earlier – to sweep the remaining wetness off her cheeks and off the tower. Slowly, the knowledge that she would have to face her teammates eventually pushed away the grief. She got up, pulling back her hood and gazing long and hard over the city she was now sworn to protect. A distant siren echoed through the air, bouncing off buildings. With a final sniff, Ruby turned and forced herself to the door leading back downstairs. So focused was she on the ordeal ahead of her that she nearly fell over in surprise as the door opened, revealing an equally surprised Blake.

The black-and-white-clad girl was first to recover. "I was just about to come get you. You've been gone for a while."

Was that concern Ruby detected in her outwardly indifferent teammate's tone? She decided it was. "Thanks, Blake. I'm fine now."

Satisfied, Blake turned around and walked back down the stairs, followed by Ruby. When they reached the spiral staircase leading down into the main room, they parted ways. "I'm going to go apologize to that girl," said Ruby, trying to smile. It felt more like a grimace.

Blake raised an eyebrow but said nothing, heading in the direction of the bathrooms.

Ruby took a deep breath before descending. She immediately picked out a head of silky white hair peeking over the back of an armchair. Steeling her resolve, the girl in red approached her new teammate. She winced when she saw the icepack that the girl held up against her head. Her eyes were closed, a frown on her face. She made no move to acknowledge Ruby's presence.

 _Well, at least she's calmed down a bit,_ thought Ruby. After a moment of silence, she coughed softly. The other girl's frown deepened, causing Ruby to wince again. Nonetheless she ploughed on. "Um… hi again."

The white-haired girl's eyes opened, giving her a cold stare. Ruby found herself unable to meet those blue orbs, so she bowed her head before continuing. "I'm really sorry. Like, really, _really_ sorry. I know that doesn't mean much, but…" She trailed off, twiddling her thumbs.

The other girl sighed and closed her eyes again. She sounded more tired than angry. "What were you doing, anyway?"

Ruby glanced up, surprised. She had expected more ranting. "I heard the elevator coming up, so I ran to the doors, but I tripped and fell down the stairs. I was just so excited to meet you."

That caused the other girl's eyes to open again. She stared at Ruby with an unreadable expression on her face. Her mouth opened as if to say something but then closed a moment later. Finally she sighed. "Be more careful," she admonished, a hint of venom still audible. With that, she closed her eyes and said no more.

Ruby got the distinct feeling that she had been "dismissed." She thought about pushing her luck by asking for the girl's name.

But just then the elevator came to life once again. Ruby squealed and turned to face the entrance, missing the scowl sent her way by the icy girl. "Oooo! Here we go! _My last chance!_ " It took her a moment to realize she had said that last bit out loud. As Ruby blushed, Blake came down the spiral staircase. The three girls waited silently for what was presumably the fourth and final teammate.

The elevator slowed to a stop. Ruby carefully descended the stairs to the doors, mentally reminding herself not to overdo the greeting this time. She wondered what kind of person stood behind those elevator doors. Another girl, perhaps? Or a boy this time? She wasn't sure how she felt about living with a boy. Hopefully he was a nice boy. Or girl. Was she the approachable type? Was she into the same music? Was she up-to-date with the latest season of _Crittermon_? Was she –

The doors opened.

– her sister?

Ruby's heart stopped. _No, I'm crazy, that can't be…_

But it was. There, standing before her in all her blonde glory, was her elder sister Yang. Complete with racy yet stylish outfit. Her eyes were closed, a familiar cocky smirk on her face as she sauntered forward, swishing her skirt from side to side deliberately.

"'sup, bitches?" Yang tossed her hair a bit as she opened her eyes. "Just wanna let y'all know that _Yang_ has enterrrr…" She trailed off as she met Ruby's eyes, her cool-girl demeanor falling with her smirk. The sisters stood still, taking each other in.

"… Yang?"

"… Ruby?"

Silence.

"… _Y-Yang?_ "

"… _Ruby?!"_

More silence.

The icy girl sighed, triggering a deluge of emotional cries from the reunited siblings. Ruby slammed into the newest girl – this time intentionally – and threw her arms around her, wailing Yang's name all the while. Yang, for her part, seemed to hesitate before wrapping her sister in a vice grip, picking her up and swinging her around and around. Ruby felt six years' worth of pain, worry, and loneliness seep out of her tightly-shut eyelids. No questions, no explanations. That could wait.

A full two minutes later, the two finally stopped clinging to each other. Sniffling, Ruby took a good look at her sister. In addition to being taller than the last time she had seen her, Yang's hair had grown slightly longer, her bust slightly… bustier. Perhaps it was just from the tearful reunion, but Ruby could swear she spotted faint creases under her eyes. Yang looked back at her with a smile as bright as her hair.

"Yang, what… where have you been? Why did you have to leave? I missed you so much…"

A shadow fell across the elder sister's face. "I'm sorry, Ruby. I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have – I know that now. I just wanted so badly to –" But she halted, glancing up and reddening slightly. At the top of the staircase stood Blake and that other girl whose name Ruby still hadn't learned. Both of them also turned a bit red and hastily walked away as loudly and as nonchalantly as possible. After the icy girl had retreated upstairs and Blake had put something in the microwave, Yang continued in a hushed voice. "I just wanted to find the killers, learn anything I could, make them pay… Seeing you as you were – so lifeless, so terrified – it was too much, I couldn't take it." She looked down in shame. "I thought if I could bring those people to justice, it might make things better. But it wasn't right. It wasn't fair of me to do that to you, or to Dad – god, I was such an idiot…"

Ruby felt tempted to agree, but she did not want to see her sister wracked with guilt so soon after seeing her for the first time in six years. She put a hand on Yang's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up over that now. Or at least wait 'till later. What matters right now is that you're back."

Yang managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Rubes. Speaking of which… what in God's unspeakably embarrassing middle name are you doing here?"

That earned a giggle. "Well, I'm, uh… I guess I'm kind of a… you know… hero… now. I mean, not like a _hero_ hero, just a _hero_ … I haven't actually done anything heroic yet. Although I did save that injured birdie back in the forest outside Titania… Hehe, birdieeee~…"

Yang was struggling to keep her jaw from hitting the floor. "Wait, what?! You're in the Beacon program too? Since when?"

Ruby's eyes widened. "Since three years ago. So you're in it too?"

"How did we not know about this?!" Yang's eyes flashed red. The temperature in the room noticeably climbed a few degrees higher. Ruby wondered if it had anything to do with her sister's semblance. "Why did they not tell us? I mean, I know it's secretive and everyone trains alone and everything, but for fuck's sake, you'd think they'd at least let us know that we're both training to become heroes…"

"I know, right? Oh, Yang, I always knew you'd be a hero. I asked Ozpin if you had joined Beacon, or at least if he knew where you were, but all he told me was that you were alive and well. And 'dealing with some issues.'"

"That asshat. Uncle Qrow will probably slice him up and serve him to Dad when he finds out." The two girls laughed, as if it was only yesterday that they had seen each other. "Wait, Ruby – did you say you've been training three years?"

"Eeyup."

"Then how come you're already a hero? I thought everyone had four years of training. Did they change the rules or something?"

"Nope. Ozpin said I was good enough to skip a year."

"You little shit."

"Haters gonna hate."

"I hate when people say that."

"Really? You used to say it all the time –"

"I hate when people other than me say that."

The sound of a microwave beeping reminded the sisters that they weren't alone. There were still so many questions Ruby wanted to ask, but it could wait at least a few minutes. Yang seemed to be thinking the same thing; she grinned and gave Ruby one more hug before setting foot on the stairs. "So whaddya say you introduce me to our other teammates?"

"Sure, sis!" As they reached the top of the stairs, Ruby extended a hand to the black-haired girl sipping tea across the room. "Yang, meet Blake. Blake, my sister Yang."

Yang slapped her cocky grin right back on. "Yo."

Blake's left eyebrow twitched upward. "Hello."

Silence. _Gee,_ thought Ruby, _I'm really good at this awkward silence thing. Maybe it's a second semblance…_

Yang did not give up. "I like your bow."

"Thanks."

"And 'Blake'? I gotta admit, that's a kick-ass name."

"… Thanks."

Just then, the icy girl returned from upstairs, sparing Yang the effort of trying to engage Blake in conversation. The girl ignored the others, choosing simply to stand by the glass wall and gaze out over the city. For a moment, Ruby maintained the hope that she would introduce herself to Yang – and to Ruby, for that matter – but to no avail. Finally, Ruby coughed uncomfortably. "Uh, Yang, meet… actually I still don't know your name."

The girl didn't turn around. "It's…" She paused, and when she continued it was in a rather quiet voice. "… Weiss."

Blake halted mid-sip. Yang gave a friendly smile, even though Weiss wasn't even looking her way. "Weiss, huh? Another cool name. Sounds… tropical."

Weiss, who looked nothing like "tropical", snorted as she finally turned, giving Yang a haughty glare. "I can already tell you're going to be just like your sister."

This caused Yang's smile to fall, and once again the temperature flared momentarily. _Yep, definitely something to do with her semblance,_ thought Ruby. "Hey," said the blonde, now scowling," you got a problem with my little sister?"

Weiss sent Ruby a hateful look, causing the latter to shrink back slightly. "Oh, not really. _She_ , however, seems to have a problem with the _universe_."  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Yang, it's okay, it was entirely my fault –"

"What was your fault?"

"She tried to kill me with her forehead!"

"That doesn't even make begin to make sense!"

Ruby waved her arms around a bit in a feeble attempt to stop the increasingly heated exchange. "Guys, please, can we all just calm dow-"

"Yes, why don't you let your precious little sister do the explaining?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"There is _nothing_ wrong with _me!_ "

"You're a stuck up little bitch!"

"I'm a victim!"

" _GUYS!_ " Ruby's voice nearly cracked as she shouted, but she succeeded in bringing the argument to a halt. Yang froze, partially settled into what Ruby recognized as some sort of martial arts stance. Weiss was shaking. Blake was furiously sipping her tea. Ruby sighed, offering apologetic looks to all. "Look, I know this is kind of cheesy, but I had really hoped our first day together would be super-special-awesome. We're heroes now – how can we expect to protect eastern Vale if we can't even begin to get along?" She paused, noting the guilty expression on Yang's face and the somewhat-oh-who-was-she-kidding-not-really guilty look on Weiss's. "Besides," she continued, giving what she hoped was a charming grin, "we'll have plenty of opportunities to beat each other up later. We have three whole days to train together before we're officially on-duty –"

And right on cue, an alarm went off, making Ruby jump a mile high. The westernmost-facing glass wall pane lit up with a projection of a red "ALERT" icon. It was shortly replaced by a map of the city and all the other relevant information that the cartoon superheroes of Ruby's childhood used to save the day. Before she could begin to take in information or even wonder what was going on, another glass pane lit up, this time with the projection of a face. A face Ruby knew.

"Ladies," said Ozpin. "I'm sorry to do this to you, but this is an exceptional emergency. Team JNPR has their hands full. I know you just got here, but we need you. Now."

* * *

 **A/N: What do you think? I feel like my narration is a bit awkward to read. I'll try to get better at it.**

 **I always like to sprinkle in references to other great series, but for this fic I'm thinking of featuring a few characters (for example, Team Rocket from Pokemon) as minor villains (e.g., just for a chapter). Assuming you won't recognize all of them, how comfortable would you guys be with that?**

 **Feedback much appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Apologies for my extremely slow and unpredictable writing pace. Also, I _still_ haven't given up on _Call of Honor_ , don't worry.**

 **As a reminder, I sometimes use _italics_ to indicate a character's thoughts.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own _RWBY_.**

* * *

Chapter 2: The First Step

"I know you just got here, but we need you. Now."

Ruby had a million questions for the man who had overseen her training for the past three years, but his expression was all business. She knew from experience that asking questions irrelevant to the situation at hand would only serve to annoy Ozpin, and an annoyed Ozpin was scary given how calm he usually was. Forcefully pushing other thoughts to the back of her overactive mind, Ruby stood at attention. "What can do we for you, sir?"

The gray-haired man on the screen nodded approvingly. "Some of you have encountered Mustelicorvi before, correct?"

Yang, Blake, and Weiss nodded. Ruby asked, "Who's Moose Tele-Curve Eye?", causing Yang to facepalm and Weiss to grind her teeth.

"A Mustelicorvus is a type of Grimm," explained Ozpin. "Unlike most Grimm, it primarily targets human property rather than humans themselves. However it will not hesitate to cut down humans in its path. Small but extremely agile, Mustelicorvi will ransack houses and stores, destroying and looting whatever it can. And right now, an entire gang of them are running loose in the streets of Vale."

Ruby grimaced. "Not good."

"No. There are so many that Team JNPR is tied down dealing with the ones in West Vale. We need you to confront and destroy the Mustelicorvi on this side of the bay. Again, I regret having to call on you when you've only just met each other, but I have no other options and the population is beginning to panic. Can I count on you girls?"

Ruby nodded enthusiastically before remembering that she had three others with her. Thankfully, they looked just as confident as she felt.

"Excellent," continued Ozpin. "The Mustelicorvi seem to be crossing the bay from the West. If you move quickly, you will only have a dozen or so to deal with." As he spoke, several locations along the Emerald Bay lit up on the map. Ozpin gave the four girls a final nod. "Good luck. I have confidence in your abilities." And with that, he disconnected, leaving the map of the city flashing on the red-tinged windows.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang glanced at each other, waiting for one of the others to do something. It really hadn't helped that Ozpin hadn't appointed a team leader yet. After a few seconds of awkwardness, they took a collective step for the stairs, heading for their rooms. Ruby realized that she still didn't know which room was hers, but at the moment respecting her teammates' privacy came second to obtaining Crescent Rose. She chose one of the doors at random and took a quick look inside. Several large and fancy-looking suitcases, none of which were hers. Next room – _aha! There you are, my sweetheart!_ Ignoring the bags piled at the end of the clean bed, Ruby grabbed her High-Caliber Sniper-Scythe and bolted back downstairs. Within seconds, she was joined by her teammates. She took a moment to admire their weapons: Blake had some sort of short black blade, Weiss carried an elegant rapier, and Yang wore golden gauntlets. Despite the situation, Ruby couldn't help but grin as she imagined the awe and jealousy on her team's faces when they saw that Crescent Rose was not simply a bad-ass scythe… but also a gun! A customized, high-impact sniper rifle, to be precise.

Yang tapped her boots impatiently. "Alright, we ready to kick some Grimm ass, ladies?"

Weiss frowned, or rather, she frowned deeper than she had already been frowning. "Perhaps, but… please don't tell me we're supposed to leave this place the same way we came in."

Somehow, emerging from a crappy apartment building after a rickety ride on a quirky elevator-tram-thingy didn't exactly match up to the heroic debut Ruby had imagined for herself. "Did Ozpin mention any other exists?" she asked.

Yang pointed upward. "How about we just jump off the roof?"

Ruby sighed. "Sis, that's a horrible…" A pause. "… actually, that's a _great_ idea! We're Huntresses, we can do that, right?"

Blake raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Sure."

Weiss looked reluctant. "Well… if we must."

On that enthusiastic note, the four girls tore back up the stairs, through the hallway, and up to the roof. Yang jumped first, howling " _Cowabunga!_ " as she sailed over the rails. For a heart-stopping moment, Ruby thought she might have lost her sister after their brief reunion, but with a bang the blonde rocketed back into view, using some sort of explosive force from her gauntlets to propel herself through the air. _Oh, wow,_ thought Ruby. _Yang's weapon is_ _ **also**_ _also a gun._

Weiss went next, jumping over the railing with surprising height for such a dainty figure. Ruby gasped as she watched her ill-tempered teammate leap after Yang, using what looked like… magic snowflakes. She honestly couldn't find a better phrase to describe them.

Blake took a quick survey of the view below before backing up for a full-speed jump. She didn't even seem to need any sort of explosive power or magic – she landed on the nearest skyscraper with ease and continued. _Ooooooooh, a ninja. Cool._

Watching her new teammates make their way towards Emerald Bay, Ruby took a good ten seconds before she realized that she should be following them. "W-wait! Wait for me!"

She launched herself off the building, adding what she hoped was a ferocious battle cry for good luck. Like Yang, Ruby used the explosive power of her weapon's barrel discharge to propel herself through the air, parkouring off buildings in her path. The familiar feeling of wind rushing through her hair and around her lithe body was especially liberating after a day of emotional ups and downs. The young girl cheered to herself as she soared through the city, ignoring the nervous muscle twinges in her abdomen as she approached her debut as a Huntress. This would be her first time fighting alongside her new team members. People who she would be working and living with, who would be trusting her with their lives, for the foreseeable future, perhaps for the rest of her life…

Ruby gulped.

An incoming skyscraper precluded any chance of a mid-air anxiety attack. Realizing she had spaced out, Ruby fired several shots towards the ground in a desperate effort to gain altitude. With the building ahead rapidly nearing, she angled her body horizontally, grunting in exertion. She just _barely_ cleared the roof, coming within inches of tapping the steel frame with the toes of her boots at close to thirty miles per hour. Her momentum gave no opportunity for a deep breath of relief; now Ruby found herself sprinting wildly across the roof, trying not to trip or lose her balance. The roof ended not a moment later, meaning Ruby was essentially somersaulting through the air in a free-falling trajectory. Instincts honed into her body and mind by several years of intense training took over. With the world cycling dizzily around her, Ruby gripped Crescent Rose and waited, firing only when the sniper-scythe's barrel pointed towards the ground. As she gained altitude again, her spin slowed, allowing her to spot a nearby building with a wide, flat roof. Ruby then spun her weapon so that the barrel faced behind her and fired several more shots, propelling her towards the targeted roof. Having successfully manipulated her trajectory, she spun Crescent Rose again, this time firing downward to slow herself down. Finally she slammed boots-first onto the roof and rolled forward until finally coming to a stop.

Ruby allowed herself a moment to catch her breath. Definitely not her smoothest landing, but with her training and her Aura, she had come out with just a few scratches. _And a slightly dented roof_ , thought Ruby with a bit of a cringe as she glanced back at her landing point. She had to be more careful – not simply for her own sake, but also for the sake of the civilians that were her responsibility to protect. _Thank goodness I'm using blank cartridges instead of live ammo_ , she thought with a smirk. A smirk that quickly changed to a gasp of horror. _Wait! I did remember to load the blanks, didn't I? Ohgodohgodohgod…_

After assuring herself that she had indeed loaded the right type of ammo, Ruby came to the much-belated realization that she had lost sight of her teammates. The building she had landed on wasn't as tall as the others surrounding it, meaning she had no view of the city ahead. And now that she thought about it, which direction was "ahead"? _Have I really gotten myself lost? Again?! And at a time like this?!_

Self-doubt rose within the poor girl like a flooding river, but before she could be overwhelmed by a panic attack, Ruby closed her eyes and forced air slowly and steadily into her lungs. She hadn't passed years of grueling physical and mental training, hadn't survived alone in the woods for weeks at a time, to fall victim to her darker side so easily. All she needed to do was get to a higher vantage point and search for the bay. Even if she somehow failed to see the river or recognize where she was, she could simply use the sun's position in the sky to reestablish her sense of direction and head west to the bay. Ruby smiled to herself as she twirled Crescent Rose in preparation for a quick ascent.

Unbeknownst to Ruby, the building's roof access door had opened, emitting a deliriously happy young boy. "SSSSSANTAAA! Oh my GOD I HEARD you LANDING on the CEILING and I RUNNED up here so- so FAST and I know you're really EARLY this year but-"

" ** _I. AM. NOT. LOST! AHHHHHH!_** _"_ And with another battle cry, Ruby Rose charged off the roof, firing several shots from her scythe-sniper rifle to boost herself up to the next building, and from there, sailing off into the afternoon sun… leaving behind a very confused and emotionally conflicted kindergartner.

* * *

Not too long after that, Ruby landed in the middle of a large street, having spotted her team engaged in battle. Roughly a dozen shadowy shapes were darting madly about the street. The Grimm – _Mustelicorvi_ , Ozpin had called them – were roughly the size of a large wolverine. They had four limbs and seemed adept at both two- and four-legged travel. Their hooked, glinting claws and bulky stomachs belied their ape-like dexterity and alarming speed. One bounded out of a shop, clutching something shiny in its muzzle. As Ruby watched, it leapt up, grabbed a lightpole, swung out of the way of Yang's gauntleted fists, and swiped a free claw at her side as she sailed past. Yang screamed in frustration, flipping around in mid-air and digging her heels into the pavement. "These things are the _worst!_ " her older sister cried as she charged after her prey, which had already scampered across the street in search of more loot.

Deciding she had seen enough, Ruby checked her surroundings. No civilians in sight. With practiced ease, she detached the magazine filled with blank rounds and replaced it with one carrying special less-than-lethal rounds designed for urban combat. Out of the corner of her eye she caught one of the Grimm sneaking into a car whose windows had been broken. Activating her semblance, Ruby dashed into action, swinging her scythe – and just barely missed the Mustelicorvus. The beast squeaked in surprise, peering out the broken car window at its unexpected predator. Ruby waited for the Grimm to make the first move, but it just sat there, chattering at her agitatedly. She made a move to open the door, but the Mustelicorvus reached out and swiped a razor-sharp claw at her fingers. Jumping back, Ruby took aim with her rifle, prompting the Mustelicorvus to take cover below the window. She could fire through the door, but she wasn't sure her less-than-lethal rounds would penetrate. Even if they could, she didn't feel like trashing the already-damaged car to kill one Grimm. Again, Ruby waited, and after a moment, the beast's chattering resumed. This time Ruby swore it was making a chuckling noise. _Grimm can't chuckle, can they?_ Shaking her head, she circled the car, thinking of ways to get at the furry little devil without causing too much property damage. Unfortunately, she was coming up dry.

Hearing another shout of frustration from Yang somewhere down the street, Ruby tried going for a different door. No hooked claw stopped her, and she swung the door open, ready to shoot the Grimm and be done with it. But it was nowhere to be found. Ruby figured it was hiding under a seat, waiting for another opportunity to swipe at her. She gripped the blade end of her scythe, preparing to stab downwards, and leaned cautiously into the vehicle. A metallic _pop_ sound startled her. Looking out the back windshield, Ruby saw the car's trunk pop open, ejecting a gleefully-squealing Mustelicorvus with a variety of valuables in its mouth and claws. "H-how did you –? Why you little –!"

But it was already well on its way to its next destination.

Snarling, Ruby slammed the car door and looked around for another Mustelicorvus to confront. It seemed that the fight had moved on to another street; she spotted Blake dueling with two Grimm at an intersection further down, she could hear Yang from somewhere around the block, and Weiss… Well, she had no idea where Weiss was.

Ruby rushed forward to help Blake. This was not good. The Mustelicorvi were causing substantial damage, and while she hadn't seen any signs of wounded civilians, she couldn't be sure there weren't any casualties. To make things worse, the Mustelicorvi were relatively small for Grimm and couldn't be tracked as easily as, say, an Ursa or a Beowolf. _They could be all over the city by now!_ thought Ruby as she approached her black-haired teammate.

Despite the situation, Ruby couldn't help but admire Blake's fighting style. She swung her katana around with one hand, holding her sheath in the other and using it to block jabs from the Grimm. The hardened look on her face never wavered even as she backed away under the onslaught of the two beasts. Ruby swung out with her scythe, separating the Mustelicorvi and giving Blake a brief reprieve. If her new teammate felt thankful for her help, she didn't show it; without a word the girls took on a Grimm each. Ruby had to admit, the Mustelicorvi were a resilient foe. The specimen before her dodged each of her swings and even occasionally managed a swing of its own. But as the battle wore on, it became clear that the agile Grimm was badly outmatched by the trained Huntress. The Grimm seemed to realize this, jumping farther and farther out of reach until Ruby was practically chasing it down the street. Just as Ruby was considering using her semblance to catch up, the Mustelicorvus leapt onto a brick wall and climbed it with ease. Ruby tried pre-empting the beast by reaching the roof first, using a mailbox as a jumping platform. She landed on the building as the Mustelicorvus was a foot or two away from the roof and swung her scythe savagely, but the beast simply threw itself to the ground and scampered back the way they had come, chattering away in what was surely a mocking tone.

Gritting her teeth, Ruby took aim with her rifle, but her target was already nearing Blake and the other Mustelicorvus. Less-than-lethal ammunition or not, Ruby did _not_ like the idea of shooting one of her new teammates on their first day together. She sighed before launching off the roof, hitting the pavement and activating her semblance to close to the distance between her and her prey. As she came out of the rose petal-laced twirl, Ruby noted with alarm that Blake had her back turned to the incoming Grimm. Engrossed in her own fight, the silent katana user didn't seem to notice as the Mustelicorvus behind her raised a vicious claw, preparing to swipe at her unprotected back. "Blake!" she called desperately.

The other girl glanced around as she parried a strike from the Grimm she was battling. Seeing the danger, Blake then did something that would have left Ruby gaping in full fangirl mode if they hadn't been in the middle of a fight. She lifted one leg, leaned forward, and struck out behind her with her high heeled boot. The Mustelicorvus gurgled in surprise as the heel caught it in its upper chest area and sent it shooting backward. Further gurgling was cut short by Crescent Rose's blade.

The remaining Mustelicorvus suddenly found itself outnumbered. Like its fellow had done earlier, it now put less effort into attacking the Huntresses and more effort into evading. With Blake's katana work still a whirling blur to her, Ruby decided to give her some space, attacking the Grimm from its side while it struggled to fight off Blake from the front. The Mustelivorcus almost immediately called it quits, turning tail and sprinting down the street, desperate to escape the Huntresses. It didn't get very far. Once it was out of range of her scythe, Ruby aimed down Crescent Rose's barrel, firing a single shot. The Grimm tumbled down, howling in fury. It pushed itself up, but before it could stagger away, Blake folded her katana's blade back and threw the device at the downed enemy. Her blade struck true. As the beast evaporated into smoke, Blake reeled her weapon back via a black ribbon connecting her right arm and the hilt.

The black-haired girl turned to Ruby, an eyebrow slightly raised, as if to ask, _Shall we move on?_

But there was something Ruby had to do first.

"… OH MY GOD ohmygodohmygodohmygod that was so amazing," gushed the girl in red. "First you were like _hiiiiya_ –" She waved her arms around in random directions as fast as she could. " – _swish-swish-swish-swish_ **sching** and then you were like 'you ain't goin' nowhere' and you threw the katana – I love katanas by the way, you _have_ to teach me how to use one – and, and, the katana hit the Muh-Stupid-Corvette and it went ***boosh** * gone and then you pulled it back like a frisbee, well not like a frisbee more like a boomerang, except – you know what I mean – and it was so friggin' cool and you're so friggin' cool and –"

"Ruby?"

The younger girl paused. " – Yes?"

"We should probably go help the others."

"… R-right! Of course! Heh, heh. Uh… onward!"

Onward they went.

* * *

By the time Ruby and Blake found Yang, the blonde's temper had begun to reach "Yang, don't say that in public!" levels. She stood in the middle of the street, firing rounds from her gauntlets at anything that moved. Ruby could clearly see a flame-like Aura surrounding her sister, with her golden hair being especially bright. The pavement below her looked like it had been charred slightly – and charring pavement was not an easy thing to do.

"I don't see Weiss," commented Blake.

"Neither do I," replied Ruby, brows furrowed. She thought hard for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. We should try ganging up on one Grimm at a time. I'll go find Weiss. You stay here and… um… _try_ to calm my sister down."

While Blake approached Yang, Ruby swung her scythe over a hanging stoplight pole and vaulted up to the nearest rooftop. From there, she scanned the streets, looking for signs of her frosty-mannered teammate. After a minute she spotted a projection of light in the shape of a snowflake appear briefly several streets away. _What is she doing so far away from the rest of us?_ thought Ruby with annoyance – and perhaps a bit of worry – as she began leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Reaching the street, she prepared to call out to Weiss and ask her to regroup with the others. But the words caught in her throat as she witnessed, for the first time, Weiss Schnee in action.

To call her "elegant" would be an understatement. The air seemed to curve around her body as she skipped and twirled, parrying strikes from the Grimm with her rapier. Weiss seemed to be able to conjure ice with either her semblance or her sword; she used the ice in various ways, freezing a Grimm in mid-air here and pelting another with icicles there. The blade traced a never-ending cycle of patterns. Her ivory ponytail fluttered lightly, softly, as if she were sitting on a bench in a park on a breezy day instead of battling multiple Grimm. Her blue eyes regarded her prey with cold dismissal, like a glacier would regard a minuscule iceberg.

A Yang-related explosion knocked Ruby out of her reverie. With a shot from Crescent Rose, she launched herself in Weiss' direction, shouting out to her as she went. "Weiss!"

The girl with ivory hair turned, narrowed her eyes, and then resumed her battle with one of the Mustelicorvi.

Landing next to her, Ruby swung her scythe at an approaching Grimm. "Weiss! We've gotta regroup! Come back with me and we'll all fight them together!"

Weiss grunted as she slashed at her foe. "No thanks."

"What?! Weiss, are you kidding me? I mean, I know you're still mad at me, but –"

"I don't need you telling me what to do, moron!"

Ruby faltered. She turned so that she and Weiss were fighting back to back. "L-look, I'm sorry, but you need to listen to me! We can't handle them on our own. They're too fast and there's too many of them!"

"Speak for yourself. These mangey things shouldn't even qualify as Grimm. I," she said as she froze a Mustelicorvus' legs in ice, "have a reputation to uphold. It _matters_ to me how I'm seen performing in our first mission. But if you're fine with disappointing whatever rat's nest of a family you crawled out of…"

There were more words after this but Ruby didn't hear them. She felt as if Weiss had punched her in the gut. Her attack rhythm was thrown completely off as the young girl reacted to her teammate's off-handed insult. The Mustelicorvi took the opening – one rammed into her side, causing her to drop Crescent Rose. A second Grimm rushed at the downed Ruby and slashed at her head. Training instincts kicked in, and with a burst of energy that Ruby didn't really feel, she rolled to the side. The beast's wicked claws grazed her cheek, penetrating her suddenly weak Aura. Ruby cried out in pain, eliciting a third and fourth Mustelicorvus to approach, sensing a weakened target. But the pain snapped Ruby out of her daze. She rose to her feet and made for her fallen weapon. Two Grimm moved to stop her, but she kicked one and somersaulted over the other. Grabbing Crescent Rose, she spun around in a flash of rose petals. One of the Mustelicorvi fell to the ground, neatly sliced in half, causing the others to back off slightly with yelps of alarm.

Weiss, meanwhile, was not even looking in Ruby's direction. She had stabbed the frozen Grimm and was focusing on freezing another when she heard a gravelly voice from behind her.

"Weiss Schnee."

Turning her head, the pale girl was surprised to find that the voice belonged to her clumsier teammate. Ruby wasn't scowling or even frowning, but her eyes, brimming with unshed tears, burned with a fire darker and somehow more frightening than her sister's. "This isn't about you or me," the girl in red continued slowly. "This isn't about how we appear to the world or how we live up to our family's expectations." Her voice hitched slightly on the word "family". "This is about doing our job, which is protecting the people. _Our_ people. So I don't care if I have to badger you into cooperating, I don't care if I have to trip and slam into your gorgeous fucking face once a day for the next five years. You _will_ come with me **and you** ** _will_** **work with your team.** " And she punctuated her last words with a backwards slash to an overconfident Grimm, never once breaking eye contact with her teammate.

Weiss was slack-jawed, annoyance forgotten, completely at a loss for words. The two girls stood there for a moment as the nearby monsters growled and the sounds of battle raged from other parts of the city. Finally, the white-haired girl closed her mouth… opened it… closed it again… and nodded hesitantly.

That was enough for Ruby. Wiping away the blood on her cheek absentmindedly, she began running for the nearest intersection. Weiss followed, as did a few of the Grimm, but some others seemed more interested in getting back to looting the city. Ruby glanced behind her as she ran. "How do we get them all to follow us?"

Weiss also glanced behind, brow furrowed, before sighing and fishing into a small pouch on her waist. Emerging with a jeweled necklace, she waved it around, quickly attracting the attention of all Mustelicorvi in the area. "This ought to do the trick," she remarked in a rather resigned tone.

As the two girls sprinted towards their other two teammates, followed closely by several excited Grimm, Ruby posed another question. "That necklace looks awfully nice. Won't you be, like, wicked upset if you lose it?"

"This diamond-encrusted necklace was given to me by my father."

"…"

"… So the answer to your question is 'no'."

* * *

Yang brought her fist down on the monster, only for it to scamper safely away by a hair's length. "OH." Smash. "MY." Smash. "FUCKING." Smash. "GOD." Double-smash. "Are you _kidding_ me right now?!"

Blake swung by in pursuit of two cabbage-toting Grimm. "You've got to calm down," she called. "Your anger is hurting your accuracy and coordination."

"I know, but…" Yang closed her eyes and growled. "These things are literally the Devil in my uncle's friggin' underwear!" Opening her eyes and firing a pair of shots at some Mustelicorvi grouped around an abandoned shopping bag, she continued: "Seriously! I've only managed to kill one of them so far, and I'm _me_ , and that's just not –"

At that moment, Blake leapt up to avoid a slash attack from a Mustelicorvus. The beast jumped with her, readying its claws for another strike. Unfazed, the black-haired girl back-flipped, slamming her boots up under the Grimm's chin. She landed and back-flipped several more times until she was several cars' lengths from the already-dissolving Grimm.

"… cool," finished Yang quietly. Blake's acrobatics had distracted her from her frustration. _In more than one way_ , added Yang's cheeky subconscious.

Two Mustelicorvi had stopped their looting to take the place of their fallen companion. Blake spared a glance at the blonde. "I know we haven't trained together before, but…"

Yang smirked, guessing her teammate's unvoiced question. "Two on two? Yeah, I'm up for that."

* * *

Coco was torn. On the one hand, she could stand near the door with a baseball bat, warding off any of those greedy monsters that might dare to even think of damaging her book café. On the other hand, such a tactic might also scare off potential customers, and as a small business owner in downtown Vale, Coco could never afford to forget about the customers. Liquid Literature was open for business, thieving weasel-monkeys or not.

So she ended up settling for a compromise: standing near the door with a cup of coffee and a neutral expression.

Velvet paced back and forth behind the counter. "Coco, are you sure standing up front is a good idea? What if those things come down this street?"

Coco took a menacing sip of coffee. "Then they'll regret it."

"But Coco! We're not Huntresses. Leave that to the new girls." She spared another look at an old portable TV below the counter. The Vale News Network's aerial camera was currently focused on two young women slugging it out with a pair of Grimm. "Speaking of which… they look like they're doing a pretty fine job. Just look at them go!"

The shop's owner glanced back at Velvet, tempted to have a look at the TV but reluctant to leave her spot.

Velvet whistled softly. "Wow, I wish I was that flexible."

 _That_ got Coco to move. She walked back behind the counter, joining the other girl. "Damn. They really are pretty close, aren't they? That's just a few blocks from here. I think that's Port's they just passed."

Velvet frowned. "Aren't there supposed to be four, though? Where are the other two?"

As she spoke, the blond huntress drove a Grimm into the ground with a particularly strong-looking pound. The bookshop shook with the vibrations from the impact. Fox caught a book as it fell from the shelf he was tending. Coco bit her lip worriedly and began to pace around again, leaving Velvet to continue watching. Three more Grimm appeared and made to swarm the blonde while her black-haired partner was busy, but one was shot out of the air by a bullet of some kind and another found itself frozen in ice up to its chin. The news camera zoomed out and refocused on two fast-approaching girls, one in red and one in white.

"There are the other two," remarked Velvet, though Coco was too busy peering out on the street to hear. "Wonder where they were…" Her eyes narrowed. "… Hey… That girl looks like… no, it can't be…"

Coco grunted distractedly from her post at the door. "What?"

Velvet shook her head, smiling to herself. "Nothing. For a second I thought one of the Huntresses looked like –"

Another miniature earthquake rocked the shop, sending several books tumbling from their displays.

Coco swore under her breath. "Velvet, tell me I'm being paranoid."

"Uh… Coco…"

"Yes?"

Velvet peered at the TV screen. With the four huntresses now reunited, the Grimm seemed to have lost their nerve and were making a run for it. "… I think they're coming this way."

Coco stared at her before swearing again, this time not under her breath. "Oh, well, naturally, of course they are. Staff!" She raised her voice so that Fox and Yatsuhashi could hear her. "Prepare to defend our shop!"

"I've got a knife!" called Yatsuhashi from the kitchen.

"Remember the customers, Yatsu!"

"… I've got a rolling pin!"

"Better."

As the four workers gathered at the front of the shop, the sounds of approaching battle became louder and louder… until a pack of five or six Mustelicorvi shot past, closely followed by a girl with hair that appeared to be on fire, a ninja girl with a bow on her head, a third girl who looked too pale to be healthy, and…

"… Ruby?" Velvet mouthed disbelievingly. The girl in question was wielding a scythe taller than her own height with the ease of a parasol. This had to be some sort of coincidence.

"Yang!" the red-cloaked girl called as she and her teammates sprinted by, "I don't know if you know this, but your hair is kinda burning!"

That squeaky voice eliminated all doubt. The enthusiastic Huntress was undoubtedly the same shy young girl who had wandered into Liquid Literature earlier that day.

The Grimm and their pursuers disappeared down another street, leaving the staff of the book café to stare after them in amazement.

* * *

After two minutes of chasing, Ruby began to reconsider her team's strategy. The distance between the Grimm and the huntresses wasn't changing much. Each time the girls gained on the Mustelivorci, the monsters seemed to gain an extra burst of energy. Neither Ruby's nor Yang's weapons were well suited to firing while sprinting, and stopping to aim and fire meant even more catching up to do. Blake had achieved some success with her weapon (which Ruby had been delighted to discover was _also_ also also a gun), but the Mustelicorvi were smart enough to zigzag and duck as they ran, making collateral damage more likely than not.

Yang apparently had the same worry. "As much as I hate to admit it, we can't keep this up much longer – whoa!" As they rounded a corner the girls were alarmed to see people peeking out from shops and windows and even venturing out onto the sidewalks, cheering on the Huntresses.

Weiss growled. "They think because the Grimm are on the run it's safe to come out and watch the show?! Vale is full of idiots!"

Blake slowed to aim and shoot down a Grimm that had drawn too close to a gaggle of civilians. "This is too dangerous! We need to end this, now!"

Ruby gritted her teeth and prepared to activate her semblance once again, hoping to get ahead of the Grimm and stop the mad chase from proceeding further. At that moment, something glinting and sparkling caught her eye. In the gaps between the buildings to her right, she could catch brief glimpses of Emerald Bay, the afternoon sun reflecting off the softly rippling waters.

 _I remember this part of town…_ thought Ruby. It wasn't long before an idea occurred to her.

"Hey!" Ruby got the attention of her teammates. "You guys take this next right – looks like it leads to the bay! I'll go ahead and nudge 'em that way!" Without waiting for a reply, Ruby shot forward in a rose-colored tornado, streaking right past the Grimm and stopping at an intersection ahead of them. Acting quickly, Ruby swung her scythe in a whirling circle and positioned herself so that she could intercept Grimm attempting to go either left or continue straight. The panting Mustelicorvi swerved right, leaving the street for a small parking lot hemmed in on two sides by tall buildings. As Ruby had hoped, the Grimm continued through the parking lot and into what she recalled to be a loading dock for the city's barges. There was nothing but water before them now. Before the monsters could decide what to do, Weiss, Blake, and Yang emerged from behind one of the buildings. The Grimm were caught completely by surprise. Ruby's teammates quickly dispatched two Mustelicorvi; Ruby sniped another. By the time the four huntresses had once again reunited, only three Grimm remained. One launched itself at Yang, who simply sidestepped and brought her right gauntlet slamming against the beast, sending it flying into Ruby's blade. The second Grimm tried to make it back to the streets, but it founds its legs suddenly encased in ice. A katana twirling through the air buried itself in the poor monster's back.

Panting, the Huntresses spun around. "Where's the third?" asked Yang.

"There!" Weiss pointed towards the bay. The last surviving Mustelicorvus was frantically jumping from barge to buoy, from buoy to floating debris, from debris to barge, using the objects as stepping stones to cross the water. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang all tried to stop the Grimm using their various long-range attack capabilities, but it was darting about too quickly and was already halfway across the bay.

Ruby voiced a frustrated growl of her own before running up to the dock and jumping after the Grimm. Yang tried to dissuade her. "Ruby, wait –"

"No can do, sis!" Ruby called as she judged her next jump. "We can't let even one get away!"

"But Ruby, I think I can see –"

"Don't worry, I can do this!" She jumped again, this time using Crescent Rose's firepower to boost herself. The Mustelicorvus had almost made it to the opposite shore, but Ruby was right behind it. She jumped a final time, letting out a last war cry and swinging her scythe as far as she could reach. "HYAAAA–!"

The tip of her scythe shaved off the end of the Grimm's tail, no more.

" **GOSH DARNI–!** " The cold Emerald Bay waters interrupted Ruby's attempt at a curse. Surfacing, she watched helplessly as the cackling Mustelicorvus landed on the shore and dashed away towards freedom…

Only to meet its end via a giant hammer.

" _HOME RUN!_ Yipeeeeee!"

Ruby treaded water, dumbfounded, watching the hammer-wielding girl celebrate. Her bright red hair bobbed up and down with every joyous bounce. From behind her approached another girl and two boys.

A black-haired young man in a stylized green tailcoat sighed. "Nora…"

The other young man, a blonde wearing a chestplate over his hoodie, was about to add something before he spotted Ruby bobbing in the water. "Whoa! You okay there? Need help?"

Ruby began to blush in embarrassment at her state, but then something in her mind clicked. "Y-y-y- _you're team JNPR!_ " she exclaimed, eyes sparkling in excitement and admiration.

The other girl, who had dark red hair and stylish bronze armor, waved cheerfully. "Hello! And you must be Ruby Rose!"

Ruby gasped. "You… you _know my name?!_ Eeeeeeeeeheeheeheeheehee…" Giggling to herself deliriously, she slipped beneath the surface, having completely forgotten how to swim.

* * *

The sun disappeared behind Vale's skyline, leaving behind a fiery glow. One final ray of sunlight reflected off of Ruby's scythe as it sat propped up against the wall. The glint caught Ruby's eye, drawing her attention to the increasingly dark sky. It was hard to believe this was only her first day on the job. It was _very_ hard to believe that just a few hours ago she had been worrying herself into a pulp about starting off on the wrong foot. And here she was now, eating and chatting amiably with her team and their counterparts from the Western half of the city.

After the rest of Ruby's team had met Team JNPR, they had contacted Ozpin to report and make sure there weren't any more Grimm. The head of the Beacon program thanked the teams for their work and congratulated Ruby's team in particular for succeeding in their first mission without prior team training. Other than a few cuts and bruises due to broken glass, no civilian casualties had been reported. After an hour helping the police organize damage repair and manage traffic, Team JNPR had invited their new counterparts for pizza in the West Tower. The East and West Towers, both built for hunters and huntresses of the Beacon program, were very similar, the main difference being that the older West Tower had a square top instead of the circular one Ruby would be living in. Team JNPR had only been the resident heroes in West Vale for a year and a half, but already their tower seemed very homely, judging by the décor and atmosphere, as well as the hastily shoved-aside messes.

Jaune Arc, leader of JNPR, blushed as he sipped his ginger ale. "Oh, now, Pyrrha, you know that's not true."

"It certainly is!" Pyrrha Nikos had a wide grin on her face. "You're a very talented dancer, Jaune. Didn't you win that school dance competition way back then? You said you were in… what grade?..."

"Preschool," supplied Nora Valkyrie, who had a wider grin on her face.

Jaune's blush deepened, even as he chuckled along with everyone else. "Oh, that little thing…" He waved his wand in mock modesty. "That was nothing, really…"

Yang smirked devilishly. "I'd like to see video proof of that."

Pyrrha scoffed as she passed Ruby the bowl of garlic bread. "Oh, believe me sister, so would I."

While Jaune pouted, Ruby finished off her fourth slice of pizza, trying not to giggle lest she end up snorting tomato sauce. She wiped her hands on her already very messy napkin before gesturing to her sister. "Didn't you win some sort of dance-talent-thingy when you were little too, Yang?"

The blonde furrowed her brow. "I don't think so… at least, not from what I can remember… maybe you're thinking of that time at Club Junior when I was seven?"

Blake choked on her drink, prompting Yang to give her a few hearty slaps on the back. Coughing, the black-haired girl raised an eyebrow at her teammate. "Y-you went to Club Junior when you were _seven?_ "

As Team JNPR turned incredulous looks on her, Yang smirked and tilted her chin up, giving her hair a slight toss. "Sure did. I was pretty mature for a kid, you know."

Ruby leaned forward to give a stage whisper: "She snuck in during a trip to the mall. They found her and kicked her out after she started dancing. Dad grounded her for a month."

That earned her a bop on the head from her older sister. Yang rolled her eyes as Ruby whined and nursed a non-existent bump. "I may not have been there very long, but trust me, those guys won't be forgetting my sweet-ass seven-year-old booty-shakin' any time soon."

"Ew, Yang, gross! I don't remember you making so many weird intendos –"

" – _innuendos_ , Ruby –"

" – innuendos back when we were kids."

"… That's because _we were kids_ , Rubles."

"Don't call me that! And I know that. So how do you explain sneaking into Club Junior at age seven?"

Weiss cleared her throat, earning the surprised attention of the rest of the table. "'Club Junior'? Is that some sort of taboo kiddie park, or am I missing something here?"

Lie Ren answered, another surprise for the table. "Club Junior is the name of a dance club on the south side of town."

Pyrrha winced. "A rather, shall we say, _disreputable_ dance club. Which reminds me." She glanced at Jaune. "We should brief you all on the dangerous parts of town."

Jaune nodded, setting down his empty glass. "Right. Sounds like you guys know about some of them already, but it wouldn't hurt."

After being briefed, the four new Huntresses thanked their hosts and returned to their own tower. It was ten o'clock by the time they arrived, and Ozpin had scheduled drills for them in the morning, so the team hastily called it a night. As she bustled about settling into her room, though, Ruby found herself still full of energy. There was so much to look forward too! For one thing, Ozpin had not appointed a team leader, or given the team its official name – this would happen tomorrow, he had promised. More importantly, though, tomorrow's drills would be an excellent opportunity to show her teammates the full range of abilities she had spent years developing. Ruby also looked forward to watching her teammates fight. The heat of their first battle hadn't exactly given her the chance to stand back and appreciate the others' fighting styles. Though she had spent a minute watching Weiss…

Ruby shook her head vigorously to clear her mind before leaving her room and seeking her sister. Maybe talking to Yang before bed would help her get some sleep.

The older blonde girl was lounging on her bed in her pajamas. She grinned cheerily at her younger sister. " 'sup, Rubes?"

Ruby eyed the baggage lying on the floor. "You gonna unpack?"

"Meh. I'll do it in the morning."

The younger girl shrugged and made her way to the bed. "How do you think today went?"

Yang smirked confidently. "Pretty good. I lost my cool a bit at first, but we ended up doing fine. And I really like Team JNPR."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, they're pretty nice." She paused. "What about Blake and Weiss?"

"Well… Blake's pretty damn talented. Pretty introverted, though. And Weiss…" Yang's face turned sour. "She's a bitch."

"Yang!" Ruby glared at her sister.

"Okay, okay… she's talented too… But still a bitch." Ruby's glare continued. Yang raised an eyebrow. "What? She is. Don't you remember how she was talking about you before we got the call from Ozpin?... Shit!" Yang swore. "I forgot to yell at Ozpin for not telling me about you! Or you about me. Ruby, remind me to chew that guy out tomorrow."

"Will do…" replied Ruby distractedly, staring at the ground.

Yang sat up. "Ruby, what's wrong?"

The younger girl sighed. "Nothing, it's just… did you notice how quiet Weiss was at dinner?"

"Huh?… I guess she was pretty quiet, I didn't really notice. Shouldn't you be more concerned about Blake though? She barely talks at all."

"Yeah, but… I don't know. She seemed more relaxed." Ruby shook her head. "Maybe I'm just overthinking things."

She received a pat on the back. "This is still only our first day, Ruby. We don't even know these girls that well yet." Her care-free smile returned. "There'll be plenty of time to worry later."

Ruby smiled back, suddenly feeling exhausted. Leaning in, she wrapped her sister in a hug. "… I really did miss you."

" _D'awwwww_ …" Despite her teasing squeal, Yang couldn't suppress a few sniffles as she returned the hug. "Missed you too, sweetie."

There was still so much to be said between the two long-lost siblings. But that could wait a night more. After all, their time as heroes was only just beginning.

* * *

As the city laid itself down to sleep, a fiery-eyed figure gazed balefully over the skyline.

"I will claim what is ours."

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Feedback much appreciated!**


End file.
